Lost item retrieval via a communication network

ABSTRACT

A lost and found server includes a processor that executes a lost and found server application that bidirectionally communicates item retrieval data with a plurality of client devices to generate lost item alert data automatically in response to receiving lost item selection data from a first client device for transmission to a proximity-based proper subset of client devices. These client devices automatically display a lost item alert on corresponding display devices. A found item notification data is received from a second client device associated with a user that found the lost item based on user input to a second client device. Found item alert data is generated automatically in response to receiving the found item notification data for transmission to the first client device. The first client device automatically displays a found item alert on the first display device indicating that the first lost item was found.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present U.S. Utility Patent Application claims priority pursuant to35 U.S.C. § 120 as a continuation of U.S. Utility application Ser. No.15/426,782, entitled “LOST ITEM RETRIEVAL VIA A COMMUNICATION NETWORK”,filed Feb. 7, 2017, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference inits entirety and made part of the present U.S. Utility PatentApplication for all purposes.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to knowledge based systems used inconjunction with client/server network architectures of a communicationnetwork.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a client device used in variousembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5A is a graphical illustration of an example user interfacedisplayed on a client device in conjunction with various embodiments ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5B is a graphical illustration of an example user interfacedisplayed on a client device in conjunction with various embodiments ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5C is a graphical illustration of an example user interfacedisplayed on a client device in conjunction with various embodiments ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5D is a graphical illustration of an example user interfacedisplayed on a client device in conjunction with various embodiments ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5E is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5F is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6A is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6B is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 8 is a flowchart representation of a method in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention that includes a Lost and Found server 120 and a plurality ofclient devices 140. The Lost and Found server 120 can include a networkinterface 122, a memory 124, and a processing module 126. The pluralityof client devices can include one or more mobile devices and/or one ormore personal computers. The Lost and Found server 120 and the pluralityof client devices 140 are coupled to a network 102, which may includeone or more wireless and/or wire lined communication systems; one ormore non-public intranet systems and/or public internet systems; and/orone or more local area networks (LAN) and/or wide area networks (WAN)including the Internet. The network interface 122 can more support oneor more communication links via the network 102 indirectly and/ordirectly.

Currently, if one wishes to employ the help of others to retrieve a lostitem, they might post a physical notice of the lost item to bulletinboards and post virtual notices to web forums. However, current methodsof requesting the help of others to locate a lost item require that suchpeople stumble upon, or even specifically search for, the notice thatthe item was lost. The present application introduces an enhanced lostand found system by utilizing a server/client network architecture. Invarious embodiments of the present invention, users subscribed to thesystem are immediately notified automatically via a client device suchas a personal computer or mobile phone. Furthermore, the subset of usersthat are notified are selected based on current locations of the usersin the system based on, for example, geospatial data such as GPS dataassociated with the client device. This allows users to be immediatelynotified when a lost item has been reported nearby. Furthermore, itemretrieval is facilitated by providing, for example, bidirectionalcommunication between the owner of a lost item and a user that found theitem.

More particularly, the Lost and Found server 120 presents a web sitethat can operate via a browser application of client device 140 or viaan application stored in a memory of the client device 140 to present aLost and Found system via the Internet that allows a user of the systemto report a lost item with descriptive information and locationinformation via user input to a user interface displayed on the clientdevice. The operation of the Lost and Found server 120 via the Internetsupports the operation of many enhanced functions and features that werenot available in a pre-Internet world. For example, other users of thesystem can be automatically notified via a notification displayed ontheir client device 140 of a new lost item reported in range of theirposition. The processing module can be utilized to select aproximity-based proper subset of client devices to receive thenotification based on geospatial data associated with each client device140, which can include, for example, Global Positioning System (GPS)data and/or a position derived by triangulating its location based onnearby cell towers and/or Wi-Fi hotspots. A user that finds a lost itemin response to receiving such a lost item notification can be promptedthrough a series of steps via a user interface displayed on their clientdevice 140 to facilitate delivery of the found item back to its owner,who is likewise prompted through a series of steps to retrieve of thelost item. Memory 124 can be utilized to store a plurality of lost itemreports, a plurality of found item reports, and/or a plurality of useraccounts corresponding to users registered with the system, wherein eachuser account can include registered client devices of the user, currentlocation of the user based on location data received from the associatedclient device, contact information of the user, a photo of the user,history of items lost and/or found by the users, user preferencesincluding alert preferences, and/or other information associated withthe user. These features, as well as additional novel embodiments of thepresent invention that will be described below, provide many drasticimprovements to the process of finding and retrieving lost items.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a client device 140 used invarious embodiments of the present invention. Each client device can beimplemented utilizing a personal computer and/or mobile device. Theclient device can include its own client processing module 230, clientmemory module 240, client transceiver 250, all coupled via bus 280. Aninteractive interface 270 can be displayed via a display device coupledto the client device via bus 280, such as client display 260, and caninteract with the interface via user input to the client device via atouch screen, keyboard, and/or one or more buttons. The user interfacecan be displayed in conjunction with a Lost and Found client application242 that can be stored in the memory 240 of the client device thatprovides user interaction with the Lost and Found server 120 and/or theuser can interact with a client application via a web browser stored inthe memory of the client device. Transceiver 250 can be coupled tonetwork 102, allowing the client device can transmit and receivecommunication to and from the Lost and Found server 120. Each clientdevice can correspond to a user of the system, and the interactiveinterface 270 can be used to communicate notifications to and receiveuser input from the corresponding user in conjunction with the presentinvention. In various embodiments, at least one camera 256 is coupled tothe client device via bus 280 for use, for example in conjunction with acamera application stored in the memory of the client device. In variousembodiments, the client device can store geospatial data 244 in thememory 240. This geospatial data 244 can be generated via userinteraction with the interactive interface 270, via an optional GlobalPositioning System (GPS) receiver 258 or gathered via a wirelessnetwork, which can include network 102, such as triangulation datareceived from a 4G network, location information from a connected accesspoint or base station, femtocell or other location data. In variousembodiments, the location data can be stored in conjunction with otherapplications, such as map applications or navigation applications,stored in the memory 240.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention, illustrating the reporting of a lost item by a user of thesystem via their corresponding client device 141, and the automatictransmission of alerts to a plurality of nearby client devices,including client device 142. Client devices 141 and 142 can be includedin the plurality of client devices described in conjunction with FIGS. 1and 2, and hereafter client device 141 corresponds one of the pluralityof client devices corresponding to a user reporting a lost item, andclient device 142 corresponds to one of the plurality of client devicescorresponding to a user reporting an item as found. In variousembodiments, a user of the system will be prompted to choose whetherthey wish to report a lost item or report a found item. For example,consider a user that realizes that she left her purse at a restaurantapproximately 30 minutes ago. This user can choose to report the purseas lost via their client device 141, for example a mobile deviceassociated with the user. The system can then prompt this user toprovide a descriptive details and location details to aid other users infinding the item via a series of questions, menu options, and/or textfields of a user interface. For example, the user can choose a purseicon from a menu of icons corresponding to item types, provide a writtendescription that the purse is “a Chanel, purple leather cross-body”purse, and/or provide a photo corresponding to the lost purse. Toprovide a photo, the user can be directed to a photo library and/orsocial media application stored on the client device to select a photoof the item that was perhaps taken previously that is either stored onthe mobile device, on a cloud application associated with the user, asocial media site or a general website. For example, the user may selectan Instagram photo of herself wearing the purse. The user can also bedirected to a web search of images, for example, based on a brand nameor description provided, and can select, for example, a retail photo ofthe lost item. The user can then provide lost item location details byentering one or more coordinates, addresses, regions, establishments,and/or routes a text field or via an interactive map display to indicatea known or guessed one or more locations corresponding to where the itemmay have been lost and/or where the item was last seen. The user canalso be prompted to provide descriptive details such as “left in backcorner booth” or “hanging in third stall of Women's restroom.”

In various embodiments, after entering the description and locationdetails, the details can be included in a transmission to the Lost andFound server 120. In response to receiving this lost item notification,the Lost and Found server 120 can generate an alert for transmission toa selected a subset of users of the system. For example, the Lost andFound server 120 can select a subset users based on the client devicegeospatial data 244 indicating that these users are located inside or inproximity to the address or location region associated with the lostitem. The Lost and Found server 120 can retrieve this locationinformation by generating a request to all users in the system for acurrent location generated by the client device to be transmitted backto the Lost and Found server 120, or use a most recent location receivedfrom client devices associated with each user, for example, sent by eachclient device at fixed or other intervals. Upon receiving this lost itemalert from the Lost and Found server 120, the selected users withinrange of the lost item can be automatically notified via an alertdisplayed on the client that a lost item is nearby. In variousembodiments, these recipients can be prompted to select an option toview the details associated with the lost item such as the specificdescription or location details.

In some embodiments, where the exact location of the lost item isunknown, the lost item location details entered by the user can includea location range and/or region. For example, this region can bedetermined by also prompting the user to provide a radius. In variousembodiments, for example, if the item was very recently misplaced, theuser can select an option to use their current location based ongeospatial data 244. In various embodiments, the user can also beprompted to provide time information for example, by providing a time anitem was lost or by an amount of elapsed time since the item was lost.This can be used, for example, to automatically generate a distancerange associated with the user's current position or an entered addressor location, or to provide the user with suggested region and/or radiusoptions. In various embodiments, rather than utilizing a radius andcentric location to determine the region, non-circular regions can beselected. For example, the user can manually select a region on aninteractive map display by, for example, indicating a region perimeter,indicating one or more cross street intersections, selecting one or morebuildings, etc. The user can also select a first location and a secondlocation, for example, to indicate that the item was last seen at thefirst location, and that the user realized it was misplaced uponarriving at the second location. For example, the user can indicate thatthe item was last seen at a bus stop, and that they realized the itemwas lost at their current location. In this case, the region can bedetermined automatically as a route between these endpoints. In variousembodiments, the user can select this route manually based on the routetaken by the user, and can enter intermediate locations, for example,indicating that they stopped at a Starbucks at the corner after leavingthe bus stop, and that they crossed through Golden Gate Park rather thanwalking along the street. In various embodiments, instead of or inaddition to entering a first location, the user can enter an amount oftime elapsed and direction traveled since losing the item, for example,indicating that the item was lost 10 minutes ago and that they have beenwalking east along Lombard street, and the first location can beestimated based on a geospatial data 244 of the client device, estimatedwalking pace, and direction of travel.

In various embodiments, the location data can include multiple separatelocations where the lost item may have been left behind. For example,after a long day of errand running, a user might determine that theirjacket was left in either the department store, the grocery store, thepost office, or the coffee shop. If the user drove their own personalvehicle, and at the end of the day determined that the jacket was notleft in the vehicle, the user may be reasonably certain that the jacketwas left at one of these establishments, and not in transit betweenthem. Thus, in scenarios such as these, using the region or route methoddiscussed previously. A user may be prompted to enter multiplenon-contiguous locations where the item may have been left, again byentering an address or interacting with a map display.

In various embodiments, the location data can include a mode of transitwhere the item was lost or last seen. For example, a user may realizethat the lost item was last seen before getting on a bus, or while in ataxi. The user can be prompted with the option to enter a mode oftransportation where the item was left behind, such as “bus” or “taxi”.Furthermore, the user can be prompted to enter a specific bus line,flight number, etc. In various embodiments, the user can also select thecompany or entity associated with the transportation service, such asGreyhound or Uber.

In various embodiments, location data such as geospatial data 244 thatcan include GPS data of a mobile device can be tracked automatically by,for example, logging geospatial data 244 continuously or at fixed orother intervals on a memory associated with the client device via anapplication stored on the client device and/or transmitting thegeospatial data 244 continuously or at fixed intervals to the Lost andFound server 120. In various embodiments, location tracking preferencescan be set by the user as user preferences associated with a useraccount. For example, a user concerned about battery consumptionassociated with location tracking can select an option to track thelocation at infrequent intervals. In various embodiments, locationtracking is not automatic, but a user can preemptively log their currentposition, for example, if they believe the location is a high-risklocation for losing items. In various embodiments, this data can be usedto determine the proximity based subset, where tracking data of usersfinding an object is used in part to determine if their current locationis close to another lost item.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention, illustrating the reporting of finding a lost item in responseto the lost item notification. In various embodiments, a user that findsa lost item in response to receiving the lost item alert can report thatthe item was found via an interface displayed on the correspondingclient device 142, for example, by selecting an option on an interfaceassociated with the alert itself, or selecting the lost item from aplurality of lost items to which the user has been notified. In variousembodiments, a transmission of notification that the item was found canimmediately be transmitted to the Lost and Found server 120, and analert can be prepared in response for transmission back to the ownerthat reported the lost item, for example, prompting the client device141 to generate an alert notifying the owner that the item was found.The alert can include a menu of options to retrieve the item and/or caninclude contact information such as a phone number and/or email addressassociated with the user that found the lost item. In variousembodiments, the alert can include a link or prompt to enter a messagingservice facilitated by the Lost and Found server 120 that allows theowner to contact the user that found the lost item, and allowscommunication between both parties to facilitate arranging retrieval ofthe lost item while allowing personal contact details such as phonenumbers and email addresses between both parties to remain anonymous,wherein the Lost and Found server 120 generating message notificationsto each party as communication is exchanged, prompting each clientdevice to generate an alert for display to the owner that includes themessage.

In various embodiments, once receiving an indication that the item issuccessfully found, the Lost and Found server 120 can generate anotification for transmission to the remaining client devices in thesubset to cancel the alert, for example, to ensure that other users arenot searching for an item that has already been found. This transmissioncan prompt the client device to generate an alert for display to theowner indicating that the item has been found and/or can prompt theclient device to remove the lost item from a queue of lost items towhich the user has been notified.

While not specifically shown, one or more users can indicate to the Lostand Found server 120 that they are actively searching for the item andthe found item alert can be send to only those users that have indicatedthey are actively looking for the item. Other status information fromseeking users can also be sent to the Lost and Found server 120 and beused to update the user that lost the item and optionally other seekingusers. For example, the Lost and Found server 120 can notify the userthat lost the item and other seeking users with real-time updates suchas “four users are actively seeking the item”, “the purse was not in theWomen's restroom”, “two of the seekers have abandoned the search”, “oneuser is currently searching along the road and is asking the restaurantfor assistance”, “someone says they saw a dog like Spot running loosenear the Ferry Building”, etc.

FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate the facilitation of lost item retrieval by theowner the lost item based on an item retrieval option selected by theuser that found the lost item. In various embodiments, a user that founda lost item can be prompted to select an item retrieval option on a userinterface displayed by the client device 142. FIG. 5A is a graphicalrepresentation of an example user interface displayed on client device142 in response to the user indicating that they found the lost item.For example, a menu of options can include leaving the item at aspecific location, arrange a meeting to return the item to the owner,and/or schedule a delivery to have the item delivered to the user, aswell as other options for returning the item to the owner. Atransmission with the item retrieval selection and relevant informationassociated with the selection, for example, provided by the user viauser input to an interface or user account information, can be sent tothe Lost and Found server 120, for example, in the same transmissionwith the notification that the item was found, or in a separatetransmission thereafter. In response, the Lost and Found server 120 cangenerate and transmit retrieval instructions to the owner based on theitem retrieval selection and relevant information received, for example,prompting the client device to generate an alert for display to theowner that includes the retrieval instructions. In various embodiments,this step can be instead performed by the owner and instructions can besent to the user that found the item, and this role reversal can applyto the any of the applicable embodiments described hereafter.

FIG. 5B is a graphical illustration of an example user interfacedisplayed on client device 142 in conjunction with various embodimentsof the present invention corresponding to the user that found a lostitem selecting the option to leave the item at a specific location. Thisoption may be selected, for example, in response to leaving the locationwhere it was found or in a safer nearby location, such as hidden behinda bush or left with a hostess at a restaurant. A user selecting thisoption can be prompted by the client device to select the location wherethe item has been left behind and can choose their current location byutilizing geospatial data 244 associated with the client device,selecting a location on an interactive map, and/or entering descriptivedetails such as “left hanging in the first bathroom stall where I foundit” or “left with hostess at front entrance.” To aid in retrieval usercan also be prompted to include a picture indicating where the item wasleft, especially if the item is left in a hidden location. For example,a camera associated with the client device such as camera 256 can beutilized by the user to take a photo when entering these descriptivedetails. The Lost and Found application on the mobile device canautomatically prompt the user to take such a photo for transmission tothe Lost and Found server 120. The retrieval instructions generated bythe Lost and Found server 120 can include the location, descriptivedetails, and/or photograph. The instructions included in the alertdisplayed on the owner's client device can include these details, andcan include a link or prompt to enter an interactive map mode. Invarious embodiments, the Lost and Found server 120 and/or Lost and Foundapp can facilitate navigation to the item by utilizing the location dataassociated with the owner's client device.

FIG. 5C is a graphical illustration of an example user interfacedisplayed on client device 142 in conjunction with various embodimentsof the present invention corresponding to the user that found a lostitem selecting the option to arrange a meeting. The user can choose toenter contact information such as a phone number and/or email address tobe sent to the owner, or can choose to automatically send contactinformation included in an account associated with the user, stored onthe Lost and Found server 120. In various embodiments, the user can beprompted to enter a messaging service facilitated by the Lost and Foundserver 120 that allows the owner to contact the user that found the lostitem, and allows communication between both parties to facilitatearranging retrieval of the lost item while allowing personal contactdetails such as phone numbers and email addresses between both partiesto remain anonymous. Furthermore, the Lost and Found server 120 cangenerate message notifications to each party as communication isexchanged, prompting each client device to generate an alert for displayto the owner that includes the message.

In various embodiments, the user can enter a suggested meeting locationtime and place. For example, if the user found the owner's purse at acoffee shop, and intends on remaining at the coffee shop for severalhours, the user can indicate that the owner can retrieve the purse fromthem at the coffee shop until 3 μm. In various embodiments, the owner,upon receiving these suggested meeting details, will be prompted toaccept or reject the meeting. Upon rejecting the meeting, the owner canselect a counter-offer meeting arrangement, or can select a differentdelivery suggestion, for example, indicating that the other user shouldleave the purse with the cashier of the coffee shop because they willnot be able to make it to the coffee shop until 4 μm.

In various embodiments, the user will be prompted to include a photo ofthemselves to aid the owner in finding them during the meetup. Forexample, camera 256 can be automatically utilized to prompting the userto take a photo. In other embodiments, the user can be directed to aphoto library and/or social media application associated stored on theclient device to select a photo of themselves. In various embodiments, auser account will already have a photo stored, and this photo can besent to the user with other meetup information accordingly.

FIG. 5D is a graphical illustration of an example user interfacedisplayed on client device 142 in conjunction with various embodimentsof the present invention corresponding to the user that found a lostitem selecting the option to schedule delivery of the item back to theowner. Delivery can be enabled, for example, by delivery employeesassociated with the system or by a third party shipping or deliveryservice associated with the system by contract or agreement. The usercan be prompted to select a delivery type, such as a third partyshipping service or a third-party door-to-door delivery serviceassociated with the Lost and Found server 120, a rider service such asUber or Lyft, or a delivery service will automatically be selected bythe Lost and Found server 120. The user can enter a pick-up locationand/or a pick-up time range. In various embodiments, the user can chooseto use a stored address, for example, a home address indicated in theuser account associated with the user. In various embodiments, the usercan enter an address in a text field, select a location via aninteractive map, or choose to use their current location based ongeospatial data 244 such as GPS data associated with the client device.

FIG. 5E is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention, illustrating the communication of delivery pick-up anddrop-off information to a delivery service 550 associated with the Lostand Found system. In various embodiments, a delivery service clientdevice 555 is coupled to network 102. The delivery service clientdevice, such as a server, personal computer, and/or mobile device can beassociated with a third party delivery service, or an employee of athird party delivery service, such as a shipping service, shared ridedelivery service, or door-to-door delivery service such as FedEx, UnitedParcel Service (UPS), United States Postal Service (USPS), Uber, Lyft,Postmates, and/or TaskRabbit. In various embodiments, the deliveryservice client device can be coupled directly to the Lost and Foundserver 120. In various embodiments, the delivery service client devicecan be associated with an employee of the Lost and Found server 120responsible for making deliveries. The delivery service client devicecan include a processing module, memory, and a network interface, andcan be implemented by utilizing one of the plurality of client devices140. In various embodiments, the Lost and Found server 120 can send adelivery notification to the user by prompting the client device 141 togenerate an alert for display to the owner, prompting the user to selecta drop-off location and/or time range. The owner can also select thedrop-off location by choosing to use a stored address, for example, ahome address indicated in the user account associated with the owner, byentering an address in a text field, selecting a location via aninteractive map, or choose to use their current location based ongeospatial data 244. In various embodiments, the lost item willautomatically be dropped-off at a location associated with the user suchas a home address indicated in the user account associated with theowner. In various embodiments, the owner will also be prompted toinclude delivery payment, or the Lost and Found service can facilitateits own delivery payment, for example, by utilizing payment informationindicated in a user account associated with the owner or based oncontractual agreements with the delivery service, with no additionalcharge to the owner. The Lost and Found service can facilitate deliveryby transmitting the pick-up and drop-off information, as well asoptional payment information, to the delivery service client device 555,and one or more employees of the delivery service can carry out thedelivery. In various embodiments, the delivery service client device 555will send confirmation of receipt of the delivery request and/orconfirmation that the delivery was carried out back to the Lost andFound server 120. In various embodiments, the Lost and Found server 120will transmit confirmation details received from the delivery service toclient device 141 and/or client device 142 for display to thecorresponding user. In various embodiments, rather than communicatingdelivery details with a delivery service, the Lost and Found server 120can recommend a delivery method to the user that found the lost item,providing a third-party link to a delivery service and/or an address ofthe owner, and the user can be responsible for carrying out deliverythemselves.

In various embodiments, a user reporting a lost item can include areward value associated with the item. In such embodiments, the Lost andFound server 120 can facilitate payment of the reward amount from theowner to the user that found the item by prompting both parties forpayment and/or banking information, or by utilizing information includedin accounts associated with each user. In other embodiments, the Lostand Found server 120 can facilitate negotiation of a reward value, forexample, by facilitating bidirectional communication between bothparties via a messaging service as previously described. In variousembodiments, a user can set conditions on the reward, for example,indicating that a reward will only be given if the item is delivered viaa delivery service or meetup, and not left behind. In variousembodiments, a first reward value can be indicated by the owner forpayment to users that successfully find the lost item, and a secondreward value can be indicated by the owner for payment to users thatsuccessfully deliver the lost item back to the owner. In variousembodiments, instead of or in addition to paying a reward, an owner canthank the user that found or retrieved their lost item via a directmessage. In various embodiments, other incentives can encourage users tofind lost items. For example, a sponsor may provide promotions or freegifts for users that found and returned lost items. In variousembodiments, owners can purchase discounted gift cards or otherpromotional materials to be gifted to the user that found their lostitem.

FIG. 5E is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention, illustrating the communication of payment details with athird party payment service. The Lost and Found server 120 canfacilitate payment via a third party payment service 560, and canbidirectionally communicate with a client device 565 associated with thepayment service. The payment service client device 565, such as aserver, personal computer, and/or mobile device can be associated with athird party payment service such as PayPal, and/or an employee of athird party payment service. The payment service client device caninclude a processing module, memory, and a network interface, and can beimplemented by utilizing one of the plurality of client devices 140.

In various embodiments, a user may find an item independently, and notbased on a lost item alert. For example, a user may find a nice watch onthe ground that was likely lost or left behind that they wish to returnto its rightful owner. As the Lost and Found server 120 receives lostitem notifications, they can be stored in a lost item database, forexample, stored in the in memory of the Lost and Found server 120. Theuser can search the database via a search interface displayed on theclient device, allowing the user to toggle search parameters such asphysical location where the item was found, type of location where theitem was found, time the item was found, type of item, item color, itembrand, item size, etc. If the user indicates a match in the database, atransmission of notification that the item was found can immediately betransmitted to the Lost and Found server 120, and an alert can beprepared in response for transmission back to the owner that reportedthe lost item in a similar fashion described before. The user that foundthe item can also be prompted to select item retrieval preferences asdescribed previously.

In various embodiments, instead of or in addition to searching thedatabase of lost items, a user may wish to report the found item, forexample, in response to failing to find the item in the database, andhoping that it will be report as lost by the owner a later time. Similarto the process of reporting a lost item, the client device can thenprompt this user to provide a descriptive details and location detailsregarding the found item via a series of questions, menu options, and/ortext fields of a user interface. The user can then provide locationdetails by entering an address via a text field or selecting a pointand/or region on an interactive map display. The user can also beprompted to provide descriptive details such as “found in back cornerbooth” or “found hanging in third stall of Women's restroom.” Aninterface displayed on the client device can prompt the user to take aphoto of the found item and/or a photo providing context as to where theitem was found by utilizing a camera coupled to the client device suchas camera 256. In various embodiments, the user can select an iconrepresenting the item instead of taking a photo for privacy purposes,and can select an icon of a credit card instead of posting a photo of afound credit card. This may also be ideal for verification purposes,ensuring that a description of the item made by a claimed owner is notbased on a photo of the item. The interface can also prompt the user topreemptively select item retrieval preferences to be applied at a latertime when the found item is matched with its owner. In variousembodiments, the user can select whether or not they wish to be alertedif an owner is matched with the lost item and/or if the ownersuccessfully retrieves the item.

In various embodiments, to further facilitate successfully finding lostitems, instead of or in addition to notifying nearby users of a lostitem when a lost item notification is received, the Lost and Foundserver 120 can search a database of reported found items in response toreceiving the lost item notification. Parameters of the search caninclude item type, descriptive information and/or key words provided bythe user such as color, brand, and/or size, time the item was found,and/or the location where the item was found. The location parameter caninclude a geographical location range, address, or specific building orvenue, as well as a location type such as “outside,” “under a table,” or“in a bathroom.” The Lost and Found server 120 can also use a photo ofthe lost item to perform the search further based on photos associatedwith the found items, utilizing known image processing techniques suchas object recognition, pattern recognition, color histogram matching,etc. In various embodiments, if a photo was not provided by the user,the Lost and Found database can perform an image web search based onbrand name, descriptive key words, etc., provided by the user, and useone or more of the image results to perform the search against the founditem photos. After performing the database search, the Lost and Foundserver 120 can identify one or more potential matches, and can transmitthese matches back to the owner. The owner can evaluate these optionsand identify a true match, and a notification indicating the matcheditem can be transmitted back to the Lost and Found server 120. The Lostand Found server 120 can generate a transmission to client deviceassociated with the user that reported the item as found, prompting theclient device to generate an alert for display to the owner indicatingthat the found item has been claimed by its owner, and can prompt theuser to select retrieval options or facilitate contact via a messagingservice as described previously. In various embodiments, potentialmatches based on these parameters are continue to be identified as newfound items are reported. If a new potential match is identified at alater time, the Lost and Found server 120 can generate a transmission toclient device associated with the owner to alert the user of newpotential matches in real time.

In various embodiments, the owner of a lost item can manually search thedatabase of found items, for example instead of or in addition toreporting the lost item, and a search interface displayed on the clientdevice can allow the user to toggle search parameters such as physicallocation range where the item was lost and/or last seen, type oflocation where the item was left, time range the item was lost and/orlast seen, type of item, item color, item brand, item size, etc. Theability to toggle the location parameter may be especially ideal forusers that don't know exactly where the item was left that may wish to“check” a variety of locations. If a match is identified, a notificationindicating the matched item can be transmitted back to the Lost andFound server 120. The Lost and Found server 120 can generate atransmission to client device associated with the user that reported theitem as found, prompting the client device to generate an alert fordisplay to the owner indicating that the found item has been claimed byits owner, and can prompt the user to select retrieval options orfacilitate contact via a messaging service as described previously. Invarious embodiments, if item retrieval preferences were already selectedby the user that found the item when the item was reported as found, theLost and Found server 120 will automatically transmit the appropriateretrieval instructions to the owner in response receiving the matchnotification from the client device of the owner.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic block diagrams of an embodiment of thepresent invention, illustrating a verification step that can be includedbefore item retrieval is facilitated. For example, any user can searchthe database of found items and claim to be the owner of any of the lostitem. For example, nothing is to prevent a user from searching forexpensive jewelry, see a picture of a nice watch they would like to own,and claim to be the owner that lost the watch. Likewise, a user claimingto have found an object may have accidently retrieved the wrong item, orpurposefully be deceitful in hopes of being paid the reward when theitem was not truly found. Therefore, the verification step can include afirst step where the user that found the object verifies that claimedowner is the true owner, and/or a second step where the owner of theobject verifies that the user that claimed to have found the objecttruly found the correct object. The steps can be done in any order orcontemporaneously. In various embodiments, the owner and/or user thatfound the item can select an option to forego their respectiveverification step if they deem verification to be unnecessary.

To facilitate the first verification step, the user that found the lostitem can be prompted to select or enter custom verification questionsvia an interface displayed on client device 142, for example: “whatcolor is the wallet inside the purse?”, or “what is inscribed on theback of the watch?” that, when answered would be sufficient proof thatthe claimed owner is the true owner. The Lost and Found server 120 canreceive these questions from the user and can send a notificationprompting the client device 141 to generate an alert for display to theowner that includes a prompt for the user to answer the question. Theanswer can be transmitted back to the client device 142 for review bythe user that found the item, and upon successful verification, the usercan be prompted to select item retrieval options as discussedpreviously. In various embodiments, the user that found the lost itemcan enter the answers to the verification questions, and the Lost andFound server 120 can generate its own verification results by comparingthe answer received from the owner to the answer received from the userthat found the lost item, and evaluation of the answer by the user thatfound the lost item is not necessary for verification. In variousembodiments, the Lost and Found server 120 will not require the userthat found the item to select or generate questions, and can insteadprompt the owner to describe the item and/or send one or more presetquestions in response to receiving the notification of claimed ownershipof the item from the client device of the claimed owner.

To facilitate the second verification step, the owner can also beprompted to select or enter custom verification questions via aninterface displayed on client device 141. In this case, it is alsofeasible for the owner to ask for more photographic evidence, as theuser that found the item likely has the lost item in hand. The owner canspecifically request certain photos, for example: “please take a pictureof the inscription on the back of the watch” or “take a picture of theinside of the purse.” The Lost and Found server 120 can receive thesequestions and/or requests for photos from the owner and can send anotification prompting the client device 142 of the user that claims tohave found the lost item to generate an alert for display to the userthat includes a prompt for the user to answer the question, orfacilitate use of a camera coupled to the client device such as camera256 to take one or more photos. The answers and/or photos can betransmitted back to client device 141 for review by the owner, and anotification of successful verification can be sent back to the Lost andFound server 120. In response, the Lost and Found server 120 can send atransmission prompting the user that found the item to select itemretrieval options as described previously. In various embodiments, theowner can enter the answers to the verification questions, and the Lostand Found server 120 can generate its own verification results bycomparing the answer received from the owner to the answer received fromthe user that found the lost item, and evaluation of the answer by theowner is not necessary for verification. In various embodiments, theLost and Found server 120 will not require the owner to select orgenerate questions, and can instead prompt the user that found the itemto describe the item, send one or more preset questions, and/or promptthe user to take a photo of the item in response to receiving thenotification claiming that the item was found from the claimed finder ofthe item.

In various embodiments, a user can indicate that the other party failedtheir respective verification step, and a notification can be sent fromtheir respective client device to the Lost and Found server 120 flagthat user as fraudulent. The Lost and Found server 120 can send anotification to the fraudulent user, for example, issuing a warning fordisplay by the client device of the fraudulent user. The Lost and Foundserver 120 can also log this fraudulent activity in an accountassociated with the fraudulent user, and can use this information inhandling further reports claiming that the user found the item orclaiming ownership of a found item, for example, requiring morestringent verification steps, or banning the user for a period of time.

In various embodiments, users can set alert preferences in conjunctionwith an account associated with the user, and will only be included in aproximity-based proper subset generated by the Lost and Found server 120for a lost item if parameters associated with the lost item comparefavorably to the alert preferences. These parameters can include rewardvalue range, type of lost item, value of lost item, proximity to thelocation of the lost item, time of day, weather conditions, type oflocation, a region the location falls in, etc. For example, a user canspecify, for example via a settings user interface displayed on theclient device, that they only wish to be alerted if an item is within0.5 miles of their current location and has a reward value of at least$100. In various embodiments, a user can also indicate that they wish tobe alerted even if their current location does not fall within thelocation parameters used to generate the proximity-based proper subset.For example, a proximity-based proper subset of users for a lost dog inDelores park on a 75 degree sunny day with a $1000 reward can begenerated by the Lost and Found server 120 may be generated based onusers that are within 0.5 miles of a location region associated with thedog, but an ambitious user that is 1.5 miles will also be included inthis subset if, for example, they indicated in their user settings thatthey wish to be alerted if a lost item is a lost pet or child and iswithin 10 miles of their current location and/or if they indicated theywish to be alerted if a lost item has a reward value of at least $500and is within 2 miles of their current location. This particular usermay have also indicated that they wish to be alerted of any lost itemsin Delores Park because they enjoy an excuse to be outside, and/or mayhave indicated that they only wish to be alerted of lost items inoutdoor locations if the temperature is at least 70 degrees, or if thereis no rain. In various embodiments, users can set several tiers of alertpreferences for the same parameter types. For example, a user canindicate that they wish to be alerted if a lost item has a reward valueof at least $500 if it is within 2 miles of their current location, butalso be alerted if they are within 10 miles of a lost item with a rewardvalue of at least $2000, and not be alerted at all for any item with areward value of less than $10.

In various embodiments, users can also set preferences with respect tothe alerts themselves. For example, the user can select if they wish tobe alerted via sound emitted by the client device, vibration emitted bythe client device, text message sent to the client device and/or pushnotification displayed by the client device. In various embodiments, theuser can assign different alert preferences based on factors such as areward value range, the type of lost item, value of lost item, proximityto the location of the lost item. For example, the user may wish to bealerted with a sound only if the lost item has a reward value greaterthan $100.

In various embodiments, alert settings can include location trackingsettings, allowing users concerned with battery consumption, or userthat do not wish to be disturbed at certain times, to turn off trackingof their device so that they will not receive notifications, as the Lostand Found server 120 will not include them in the proximity-based propersubset. Furthermore, the user can select options to update location andmore frequent or less frequent intervals. In various embodiments, theuser can turn off location tracking, but select their current locationmanually via a text or map interface, and the Lost and Found server 120will use this location when determining if the user should be includedin the proximity-based proper subset.

In various embodiments, a user may have received multiple alerts. Aninterface displayed on the client device can allow users to look at allalerts received recently, and can show users which items have alreadybeen found. In such embodiments, a set of received alerts can be storedon a memory of the client device, or fetched via a request to the Lostand Found server 120. In various embodiments, a user can dismiss analert when it is received, or later when viewing all the alerts, toindicate that they are no longer interested in finding this item, andthe item will no longer appear in the list. In various embodiments, theclient device can also send a notification to the Lost and Found server120 automatically in response to dismissal of an alert, and the itemwill be removed from a list of lost items assigned to the user, forexample in a mapping indicating lost items assigned to users in thesystem, stored in memory of the Lost and Found server 120. In variousembodiments, the user can select preferences with regards to the amountof time these alerts remain available, for example, selecting an optionfor alerts to be dismissed automatically after 48 hours. In variousembodiments, the user can set different time frames based on variousparameters of the lost item. In various embodiments, alerts will bedismissed automatically after a fixed amount of time determined by theLost and Found server 120. In various embodiments, this dismissal timeframe is stored in a memory of the client device. In other embodiments,if different dismissal times are assigned to different items, the Lostand Found server 120 can send the dismissal timeframe in the alertnotification, or can send a dismissal notification to the client deviceafter the dismissal timeframe has elapsed, and the client device canremove the alert from the set stored in memory of the client device. Invarious embodiments, reported lost items will also be removed from thelost item database by the Lost and Found server 120 if a fixed amount oftime has elapsed, which can be the same duration as the dismissaltimeframe, or a longer time frame. Similarly, in various embodiments,reported found items can be removed from the found item database by theLost and Found server 120 if another fixed amount of time has elapsed.In various embodiments, lost items and or found items are assigned aduration of time they will remain in the database. This can be the samefor all items reported, or can be based on parameters of the reporteditem. In various embodiments, lost items and/or found items will beremoved from their respective database if a database memory constraintis exceeded. In various embodiments, the Lost and Found server 120 willsend a notification to the client device for display to the user thatreported the lost item or found item indicating that it has been removedfrom the database.

In various embodiments, accounts associated with users can include oneor more “items of value” and/or “items likely to be lost.” Users caninclude descriptive details of such items and can include a photo, forexample, on a settings user interface displayed on the client device.The interface may prompt the user to take a photo of the item, and canuse a camera coupled to the client device such as camera 256. Theinterface may also prompt the user to provide a photo that waspreviously taken, and the user can be directed to a photo library and/orsocial media application stored on the client device to select a photoof the item. This allows users to have descriptive information andphotos of the item ready if the item is ever lost that may otherwise beunavailable, or take up precious time to enter, when the item isactually lost. When a user is reporting a lost item, they can beprompted to choose if they wish to select from one of these preemptivelylogged items or generate a report for a new item. In variousembodiments, items can be added to an account associated with the userautomatically when a new lost item report is generated.

In various embodiments, a user can set their own high-risk locationpreferences by entering multiple locations they personally believe arehigh risk, for example, listing a restaurant where the user frequentlysets down their personal belongings. In various embodiments, the usercan select a location type, and all addresses corresponding to thislocation type can be flagged as high-risk locations. For example, a usermay know that they tend to put their purse down while dining atrestaurants and while trying on clothes in changing rooms of retailestablishments, and may select “restaurants” and “clothing stores” ashigh-risk locations. In various embodiments, a log of locationsassociated with previous lost items associated with the user can be usedto determine high-risk locations. In various embodiments, thepreferences and/or locations associated with all of the users in thesystem, or a subset of other users with user profiles that are similarto the user, can be used to automatically flag or suggest to the userthe set of high-risk locations. In various embodiments, system-widehigh-risk locations that apply to all users of the system or a selectedsubset of users of the system can be set based on analysis of this data.In various embodiments, system-wide high-risk locations can be setmanually by an administrator of the system based on recommendations madeby the system or known high-risk locations or known high-risk locationtypes. For example, locations that correspond to airport securitycheckpoints, malls or amusement parks may be selected as high-risklocations because people tend to lose things at these types ofestablishments. In various embodiments where the user's location istracked, the user can be notified automatically when they enter ahigh-risk location and to use caution. In various embodiments, thefrequency and/or precision of location tracking can be increased inresponse to a user reporting and/or the system automatically recognizingthat a high-risk location has been entered by the user.

In various embodiments, location data of a lost item can be treateduniformly, and the Lost and Found server 120 will select the proximitybased subset of users to alert by treating the area of a region, thepoints along a route, a set of distinct locations, etc., with the sameweight. In various embodiments, it may be ideal to employ a non-uniformapproach, for example, if there is a higher probability that the itemwas lost in certain portions of a region, route, or set of distinctlocations. For example, a portion of the location data that correspondsto a high-risk location can be assigned a higher loss probability thanother portions of the location data. In various embodiments, the userwill be prompted to select portions of a region, route, or set ofdistinct locations that they believe are most likely places where theitem was lost. For example, if the location data includes a route from abus stop to the user's home, the user might determine that lost keyswere most likely left at the Starbucks the user stopped at on the way,but that it is also possible that the keys fell out of their pocketanywhere along the route. The user can indicate via an interfacedisplayed on the client device which portions of the route should beassigned a higher weight. In various embodiments, selecting theproximity based subset of users to alert of the lost item will be basedin part on various probabilities or weights assigned to the locations.For example, users that are located within 0.5 miles of the Starbucksmay be alerted, and only users within 50 meters of the rest walkingroute will be alerted. In various embodiments, this weight informationwill be included in the lost item alert received by each user, forexample, by indicating via text, map, or graphical representation “Keysmost likely left in Starbucks, may also be on the ground along walkingroute”, for example, assisting notified users of where to search first.In various embodiments, the Lost and Found server 120 automaticallytreats the location data non-uniformly based on a deterministicfunction, defined probability distribution, statistical analysis of oneor more user's location history or lost item history, etc. For example,the Lost and Found server 120 can automatically assign higher weight tohigh-risk locations identified in the location data.

In various embodiments, the Lost and Found server 120 can treat lostitem notifications received from users non-uniformly. For example, theLost and Found server 120 may choose to give some lost items higherpriority than others, and can use this assigned priority when generatingthe proximity based subset. For example, the Lost and Found server 120can alert users within 2 miles of a location region corresponding to ahigh priority item, and alert users within only 0.25 miles of a locationregion corresponding to a low priority item. In various embodiments, theLost and Found server 120 can surpass alert preferences, alerting allusers within proximity of a high priority item regardless of alertpreferences. In various embodiments, the Lost and Found server 120 canassign priority based on the reward offered, for example assigninghigher priority to lost items that correspond to higher rewards. Invarious embodiments, the Lost and Found server 120 can assign prioritybased on the type of item lost, or the value of item lost, for exampleassigning higher priority to expensive jewelry, lost children, and lostpets and lower priority to lost jackets and keys. In variousembodiments, the Lost and Found server 120 can assign priority based onthe user, the user account, and/or user history. For example, a userthat found several lost items may be granted higher priority as a rewardfor their loyalty. In various embodiments, users can pay a subscriptionfee to subscribe to automatic higher priority levels, or a one-time feeto grant the lost item higher priority. In various embodiments, the Lostand Found server 120 can generate a likelihood value corresponding tothe likelihood that the item is recoverable, and can further base thepriority based on the likelihood value, for example assigning higherpriority to lost items with higher likelihood values. For example, theLost and Found server 120 can calculate the likelihood based on theamount of time that has elapsed since the item was lost, how likely theitem is to be stolen, the size of the item, and/or the type of locationwhere the item was lost. The Lost and Found server 120 can alsocalculate the likelihood value based on the size of the location regionprovided by the user. For example, a lost item may be assigned a higherlikelihood value if the user provided an exact location than a lost itemwhere the user provided a larger and/or more ambiguous location region,route or set of locations.

In various embodiments, a user can be prevented from entering a locationregion, route, or set of locations that is too large. For example, itmay be considered unreasonable to allow a user to indicate that the itemmay have been left anywhere in the city of San Francisco, or anywherealong Route 1 between San Francisco and Los Angeles. In variousembodiments, restrictions on location size can be fixed for all lostitems, or can be calculated separately for each reported lost item basedon reward value, value of the item, one or more types of locations inthe region, and/or user history or subscriptions as describedpreviously.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the presentinvention, illustrating the utilization of a plurality of registeredentities. Registration information, account information, and locationinformation can be stored by the memory 124 of the Lost and Found server120 accordingly. The Lost and Found system can also communicate with oneor more client devices 705 associated with each entity, which can beimplemented utilizing at least one server, at least one personalcomputer, at least one mobile device, and/or one or more of theplurality of client devices 140, via the network 102. In variousembodiments, the registered entities can include one or more drop-offhubs 710, one or more registered establishments 720, and/or one or moretransportation entities 730.

In various embodiments, one or more drop-off hubs 710 can serve assuggested drop-off locations for users that don't wish to leave an itemin an unsafe location where they found it. In various embodiments, thehub can coordinate item retrieval with the owner, and the user thatfound the item does not need to be bothered with meeting the owner ordelivering the item to the owner, and in various embodiments, can stillreceive reward payment for successful drop-off to the hub. This may alsobe ideal in situations where a user finds an item that does not have acorresponding lost item report and thus has not yet been matched to anowner, and where the user does not want to leave the item behind or holdon to it for an indefinite period of time. A user can send a request tothe Lost and Found server 120 via user input to the client devicetransmitted to the Lost and Found server 120 for a list of nearby hubsbased on the current location indicated by geospatial data 244 of theclient device. In various embodiments, the Lost and Server can sendnavigational instructions to the client device based on a selected hubreceived by the Lost and Found server 120. The user can notify the Lostand Found server 120 that an item is being dropped off at a particularhub, and/or a client device 705 of the hub can send a notification tothe Lost and Found server 120 indicating that an item corresponding to areported lost item or reported found item has been delivered. In variousembodiments, drop-off at a hub is a separate option for item retrievalas discussed in conjunction with FIG. 5A, or drop-off at a hub can bespecified as an option when specifying where an item was left inconjunction with FIG. 5B. In various embodiments, the user can enter thehub corresponding to their current location based on geospatial data244, enter an address of the hub, and/or enter a hub identifying name orID number. In various embodiments, in response to receiving anindication that an item has been dropped-off by the client device of theuser that found the lost item and/or client device 705, the Lost andFound server 120 can send an alert to the first client device fordisplay by the owner indicating that the lost item is ready for pick upat the hub. This alert can include the location of the hub, and/orprovide navigation instructions to the hub based on the geospatial data244 of the client device of the owner. The Lost and Found server 120 cancommunicate notifications with the client device 705 associated with thehub indicating that an owner of one of the lost items stored at the hubhas been identified and/or request the hub to select item retrievalpreferences or instructions as described previously. In variousembodiments, the Lost and Found server 120 can send notifications to theclient device of the hub indicating one or items that have been removedfrom the database, and that these items should be donated. In variousembodiments, the hubs can host garage sales, auctions, or giveaways inconjunction with these items. In various embodiments, the hubs cancommunicate details of such events with the Lost and Found server 120,and the Lost and Found server 120 can generate an alert indicating thesedetails to all of the users of the system, or a subset of users selectedbased on proximity to the event based on geospatial data 244, a homeaddress, etc., or based on user settings, for example indicating hubs ofinterest, event types of interest, whether or not hub alerts are turnedon or off, etc. The alert can be transmitted when the event details arereceived from the hub, at a predetermined time before the event, atpredetermined times indicated in user settings, and/or at the time ofthe event. As further incentive for an entity or establishment to serveas a hub, proceeds from such events can go towards the entity orestablishment, or to a charity selected by the entity or establishment.Other incentives can include advertisements associated with the hubentity or establishment being transmitted by the Lost and Found server120 for display on the client devices 140 of users of the system.

In various embodiments, entities that often receive reports and/ordeliveries of lost items can also register with the system as a hub. Forexample, police departments, dog pounds, insurance companies, etc. canregister as hubs and can communicate with the Lost and Found server 120via their own client device 705, and/or via a plurality of clientdevices 140 associated with employees of such entities. In suchembodiments, these hubs can furthermore elect to receive relevant lostitem notifications generated by nearby users automatically. In such afashion, police reports or insurance claims can be generatedautomatically in response to receiving lost item reports by the Lost andFound server 120, a dog pound can receive lost pet notification andcheck to see if they recently found any animals matching the descriptionprovided in the lost item report, etc. Furthermore, found itemnotifications can be sent to such establishments, for example, allowingthe police to check their police reports to see if such an item wasreport, allowing the dog pound to provide instructions for drop-off,etc. In various embodiments, these entities can generate customresponses, instructions, or elect to open direct communication with theuser that lost or found an item via the direct messaging describedpreviously. In various embodiments, relevant entities that will receivethe notifications will be set automatically by the system and/or can beset in user settings, for example, allowing a user to enter insuranceinformation and select their personal insurance company, elect that onlyitems valued over $500 are sent to the police, etc. In variousembodiments, the Lost and Found server 120 can generate assistivenotifications to users in response to receiving lost or found itemreports, for example, giving the user of a lost pet the phone number ofa local pound, advising the user of a lost laptop to remotely lockand/or wipe the device, sending URL links to relevant blogs associatedwith third party sites and/or links to internal blogs generated by otherusers of the system based on their experience.

In various embodiments, one or more establishments 720, such as largeestablishment including malls and/or amusement parks, can providedetailed location information and/or custom maps. The Lost and Foundserver 120 can perform additional actions or provide specificinstructions based on preferences set by the establishment. In variousembodiments, users reporting lost or found items at such establishmentscan interact with a custom interface unique to the establishment. Forexample, a user can interact with a map of Disney World or a list ofattractions, indicating that an item was lost on either It's a SmallWorld or Space Mountain, or indicating that an item was lost somewherein Frontierland. In various embodiments, employees of the establishment,such as mall cops or amusement park employees, can be receive lost itemnotifications via their own client devices 140, and in some embodiments,can receive custom lost item notifications, or be included inproximity-based proper subsets based on a different set of parameters.In various embodiments, users that find items can be directed to a lostand found center associated with the establishment, and the lost andfound center can act similarly to the hubs described previously. Invarious embodiments, such preferences specific to use of the system atthe establishment can be set via a client device 705 associated with theestablishment itself, connected to the network 102.

In similar embodiments, transportation entities such as bus companies,taxi companies, shared ride companies, airlines, etc., can register withthe system, and the Lost and Found server 120 can perform additionalactions or provide specific instructions based on preferences set by thetransportation entity in response to users reporting lost or found itemsin a vehicle of the transportation entity. In various embodiments, caninteract with a custom interface unique to the transportation entity,for example, selecting a flight number from a menu of flight numbers orsearching a Taxi cab number from a menu of taxi cabs. In variousembodiments, employees of the transportation entity, such taxi driversor airline personnel, can be receive lost item notifications via theirown client devices 140, and in some embodiments, can receive custom lostitem notifications, or be included in proximity-based proper subsetsbased on a different set of parameters. In various embodiments, usersthat find items can be directed to a lost and found center associatedwith the transportation entity, and the lost and found center can actsimilarly to the hubs described previously. In various embodiments, avehicle and/or employee of the transportation entity can be tasked andgiven instructions via the Lost and Found server 120 to facilitatedelivery of the lost item to its owner. In various embodiments, suchpreferences specific to use of the system in conjunction with thetransportation entity can be set via a client device 705 associated withthe establishment itself, such as one of the plurality of client devices140, connected to the network 102.

In various embodiments, instead of reporting an item that has been foundand needs to be returned to its rightful owner, users can also reportitems they wish to sell, or wish to be “found”, along with a price, andother users can search the database in a similar fashion as describedpreviously, not to recover a lost item, but to buy a new item. The Lostand Found server 120 would facilitate the exchange as describedpreviously, and the seller of the item can select item retrievalpreferences as described previously. The Lost and Found server 120 canalso facilitate purchase payment in a similar fashion to facilitatingreward payment as described previously.

In various embodiments, instead of reporting a lost item, users can postquestions or seek advice on matters to which they seek to “find”clarity. Other users can respond to these queries, for example, as apost to the report, or directly via a messaging service as describedpreviously. In various embodiments, the user seeking advice can indicatea reward as described previously to be granted to a user that provides ahelpful answer.

In various embodiments a lost and found server includes a networkinterface for communicating via a network, a memory that stores a lostand found server application, and a processing system, coupled to thememory and the network interface. The processing system includes atleast one processor that executes the lost and found server applicationthat bidirectionally communicates item retrieval data with a pluralityof users of a plurality of client devices via the network interface inconjunction with recovery of a first lost item by first user in theplurality of users. The item retrieval data includes lost item menu datagenerated by the processing system and sent to a first client device ofthe plurality of client devices corresponding to the first user fordisplay to the first user via a first interactive interface displayed bya corresponding first display device of the first client device, and thefirst interactive interface prompts the first user to enter lost itemdescription data and lost item location data via first user input to thefirst interactive interface. The item retrieval data further includeslost item selection data received from the first client device thatincludes the lost item description data and the lost item location datagenerated by the first client device in response to the first userinput. The item retrieval data further includes lost item alert dataautomatically generated by the processing system in response toreceiving the lost item selection data and sent to a proximity-basedproper subset of the plurality of client devices. The lost item alertdata includes the lost item description data and the lost item locationdata, and the proximity-based proper subset is selected by theprocessing system automatically in response to receiving the lost itemselection data based on comparing the lost item location data to clientdevice geospatial data generated by and received from the plurality ofclient devices. The proximity-based proper subset of the plurality ofclient devices automatically display a lost item alert on correspondingdisplay devices of the proximity-based proper subset of the plurality ofclient devices. The item retrieval data further includes found itemnotification data received from a second client device included in theproximity-based proper subset associated with a second user in theplurality of users that found the first lost item. The found itemnotification data is generated by the second client device based onsecond user input to a second interactive interface displayed by asecond display device of the second client device in response to thelost item alert data, and the second user input indicates that the firstlost item was found. The item retrieval data further includes found itemalert data automatically generated by the processing system in responseto receiving the found item notification data and sent to the firstclient device. The first client device automatically displays a founditem alert on the first display device indicating that the first lostitem was found in response to receiving the found item alert data.

In various embodiments, the found item notification data received fromthe second client device includes a retrieval location generated by thesecond client device in response to the second user input. The founditem alert data sent to the first client device includes retrievalinstruction data generated by the processing system for display via thefirst display device, and the retrieval instruction data includes theretrieval location generated by the second client device in response tothe second user input. In various embodiments, the second interactiveinterface prompts the second user to select the retrieval location viaan interactive map displayed on the second display device. In variousembodiments, the found item notification data includes geospatial datagenerated by the second client device in response to the second userinput indicating an option to set the retrieval location to theircurrent location via the second interactive interface. In variousembodiments, the item retrieval data further includes navigation dataautomatically generated by the processing system in response toreceiving the found item notification data, and sent to the first clientdevice for display by the first display device. The navigation data isgenerated based on geospatial data received from the first client deviceand the retrieval location.

In various embodiments, the item retrieval data further includes a founditem drop-off notification received from a third client deviceassociated with one of a plurality of registered drop-off entitiesindicating that the first lost item was dropped-off at the one of theplurality of registered drop-off entities. The item retrieval data alsofurther includes a ready for pick-up alert generated by the processingsystem in response to receiving the found item drop-off notification,and sent to the first client device for display by the first displaydevice. The ready for pick-up alert includes a retrieval locationassociated with the one of the plurality of drop-off entities. Invarious embodiments, the item retrieval data further includes nearbydrop-off entity data generated by the processing system in response toreceiving the found item notification data, and sent to the secondclient device for display by the second display device. The nearbydrop-off entity data includes a proximity-based proper subset of theplurality of registered drop-off entities selected by the processingsystem by comparing geospatial data received from the second clientdevice to locations associated with the registered drop-off entities inresponse to receiving the found item notification data.

In various embodiments, the second interactive interface prompts thesecond user to take a photo of the first lost item using a cameracoupled to the second client device. The photo is included in the founditem notification data received from the second client device, and thephoto is included in the found item alert data sent to the first clientdevice for display to the first user by the first display device inconjunction with the display of the found item alert. In variousembodiments, the item retrieval data further includes verificationrequest data generated by the processing system in response to receivingthe found item notification data, and sent to the first client devicefor display on the first display device prompting the first user toenter a response to a verification request. The item retrieval data alsofurther includes verification response data received from the firstclient device via third user input that includes the response to theverification request entered by the first user. The verificationresponse data is sent to the second client device for display on thesecond display device, prompting the second user to evaluate theresponse to the verification request. Verification confirmation datareceived from the second client device. The verification confirmationdata is generated by the second client device in response to theverification request, and indicates that the first user successfullyverified ownership of the first lost item.

In various embodiments, the item retrieval data further includesdelivery drop-off request data generated by the processing system inresponse to receiving the found item notification data, and sent to thesecond client device for display by the second display device, promptingthe second user to select a delivery pick-up location. The itemretrieval data also further includes delivery pick-up selection datareceived from the second client device that includes the selecteddelivery pick-up location. The item retrieval data further includesdelivery location request data generated by the processing system andsent to the first client device for display by the first display device,prompting the first user to enter a delivery drop-off location. The itemretrieval data also further includes delivery drop-off selection datareceived from the first client device that includes the selecteddelivery drop-off location, and delivery instruction data generated bythe processing system in response to receiving the delivery pick-upselection data and the delivery drop-off selection data, and sent to athird client device corresponding to a delivery service associated withthe lost and found server. Delivery of the first lost item from thesecond user to the first user is facilitated by the delivery servicebased on delivery pick-up data and delivery drop-off data included inthe delivery instruction data.

In various embodiments, the item retrieval data further includesnotification preference menu data sent to the second client device fordisplay by the second display device, prompting the second user toselect at least one of a plurality of notification parameter options.The item retrieval data also further includes notification preferenceselection data received from the second client device that indicates theselected at least one of the plurality of notification parameteroptions. The proximity-based proper subset is further selected by theprocessing system based on a plurality of notification preferencescorresponding to the plurality of users, and the second client device isincluded in the proximity-based proper subset further based on thenotification preference selection data. In various embodiments, thenotification preference selection data includes at least one of aplurality of lost item types selected by the second user, a distancerange selected by the second user, and/or a time range selected by thesecond user. The second client device is included in the proximity-basedproper subset in response to the selected at least one of the pluralityof lost item types, the selected distance range, and/or the selectedtime range comparing favorably to the selected lost item type indicatedby the lost item selection data received from the first client device,the selected lost item location indicated by the lost item selectiondata received from the first client device, and/or a time of recordedloss indicated by the lost item selection data received from the firstclient device. In various embodiments, the lost item selection dataincludes a reward value selected by the first user, and the notificationpreference selection data includes a lost item reward value rangeselected by the second user. The second client device is included in theproximity-based proper subset in response to the reward value selectedby the first user comparing favorably to the lost item reward rangeselected by the second user.

In various embodiments, the lost item location data indicated by thelost item selection data includes a plurality of locations based on atransit route and/or a plurality of establishments, and theproximity-based proper subset is generated based on the plurality oflocations. In various embodiments, the lost item location data indicatedby the lost item selection data includes a plurality of loss likelihoodweights corresponding to the plurality of locations, and theproximity-based proper subset is generated based on the loss likelihoodweights and their corresponding location. In various embodiments, thefirst interactive interface further prompts the first user to upload aphoto of the first lost item from a photo library associated with thefirst client device. The photo is included in the lost item selectiondata received from the first client device, and the photo is included inthe lost item alert data sent to the proximity-based proper subset ofthe plurality of client devices for display to the corresponding subsetof users in conjunction with display of each lost item alert.

In various embodiments, a plurality of lost item reports based on lostitem selection data received from the plurality of client devices arestored in a lost item database in the memory. High-risk location datathat includes plurality of high-risk locations is generated by theprocessing system based on lost item location data corresponding to theplurality of lost item reports, and a high-risk location alert isautomatically generated by the processing system in response toreceiving geospatial data from a third client device corresponding toone of the plurality of high-risk locations. The high-risk locationalert is sent to the third client device for display automatically by acorresponding third display device alerting the user they entered ahigh-risk location.

In various embodiments, a plurality of found item reports that includefound item location data and found item description data are receivedfrom plurality of client devices and are stored in a found item databasein the memory. The item retrieval data further includes lost item searchparameters received from a third client device in the plurality ofclient devices based on user input by a third user in the plurality ofusers attempting to recover a second lost item. The item retrieval dataalso further includes found item search results generated by theprocessing system based searching the found item database based on thelost item search parameters. The found item search results are sent tothe third client device for display to the third user, indicating atleast one of the plurality of found item reports of the found itemdatabase corresponding to at least one potential match. The itemretrieval data also further includes lost item match data received fromthe third client device in response to the third user identifying amatch to the second lost item in the found item search results, andfound item claimed data automatically generated by the processing systemin response to receiving the lost item match data and sent to a fourthclient device associated with the match in the found item searchresults. The fourth client device automatically displays an item claimedalert on a fourth display device corresponding to the fourth clientdevice indicating that the third user claimed the corresponding founditem.

In various embodiments, a plurality of lost item reports that includelost item location data and lost item description data are received fromplurality of client devices and are stored in a lost item database inthe memory. The item retrieval data further includes a lost itemdatabase stored in the memory that includes a plurality of lost itemsbased on lost item description data received from at least one of theplurality of client devices. The item retrieval data also furtherincludes found item search parameters received from a third clientdevice based on user input by a third user in conjunction with finding apotentially lost item, and lost item search results generated by theprocessing system based searching the lost item database based on thefound item search parameters. The lost item search results are sent tothe third client device for display to the third user, indicating atleast one of the plurality of lost item reports of the lost itemdatabase corresponding to at least one potential match. The itemretrieval data also further includes found item match data received fromthe third client device indicating a match identified by the third userin the lost item search results, and lost item recovered alert dataautomatically generated by the processing system in response toreceiving the found item match data and sent to a fourth client deviceassociated with the match in the lost item search results. The fourthclient device automatically displays a found item alert on a fourthdisplay device corresponding to the fourth client device indicating thatthe corresponding lost item was recovered by the third user in responseto receiving the lost item matched data.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of retrieving a lost item.In particular, a method is presented for use in conjunction with one ormore functions and features described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-7 forexecution by a lost and found server that includes at least oneprocessor and memory that stores instructions that configure theprocessor or processors to perform the steps described below. Step 802includes generating lost item menu data for transmission to a firstclient device of the plurality of client devices corresponding to thefirst user for display to the first user via a first interactiveinterface displayed by a corresponding first display device of the firstclient device, the first interactive interface prompting the first userto enter lost item description data and lost item location data viafirst user input to the first interactive interface. Step 804 includesselecting lost item data received from the first client device thatincludes the lost item description data and the lost item location datagenerated by the first client device in response to the first userinput. Step 806 includes generating lost item alert data automaticallyin response to receiving the lost item selection data for transmissionto a proximity-based proper subset of the plurality of client devices,where the lost item alert data includes the lost item description dataand the lost item location data, where the proximity-based proper subsetis selected automatically in response to receiving the lost itemselection data based on comparing the lost item location data to clientdevice geospatial data generated by and received from the plurality ofclient devices, and where the proximity-based proper subset of theplurality of client devices automatically display a lost item alert oncorresponding display devices of the proximity-based proper subset ofthe plurality of client devices. Step 808 includes receiving found itemnotification data from a second client device included in theproximity-based proper subset associated with a second user in theplurality of users that found the first lost item, the found itemnotification data generated by the second client device based on seconduser input to a second interactive interface displayed by a seconddisplay device of the second client device in response to the lost itemalert data, where the second user input indicates that the first lostitem was found. Step 810 includes generating found item alert dataautomatically in response to receiving the found item notification datafor transmission to the first client device, where the first clientdevice automatically displays a found item alert on the first displaydevice indicating that the first lost item was found in response toreceiving the found item alert data.

It is noted that terminologies as may be used herein such as bit stream,stream, signal sequence, etc. (or their equivalents) have been usedinterchangeably to describe digital information whose contentcorresponds to any of a number of desired types (e.g., data, video,speech, audio, etc. any of which may generally be referred to as‘data’).

As may be used herein, the terms “substantially” and “approximately”provides an industry-accepted tolerance for its corresponding termand/or relativity between items. Such an industry-accepted toleranceranges from less than one percent to fifty percent and corresponds to,but is not limited to, component values, integrated circuit processvariations, temperature variations, rise and fall times, and/or thermalnoise. Such relativity between items ranges from a difference of a fewpercent to magnitude differences. As may also be used herein, theterm(s) “configured to”, “operably coupled to”, “coupled to”, and/or“coupling” includes direct coupling between items and/or indirectcoupling between items via an intervening item (e.g., an item includes,but is not limited to, a component, an element, a circuit, and/or amodule) where, for an example of indirect coupling, the intervening itemdoes not modify the information of a signal but may adjust its currentlevel, voltage level, and/or power level. As may further be used herein,inferred coupling (i.e., where one element is coupled to another elementby inference) includes direct and indirect coupling between two items inthe same manner as “coupled to”. As may even further be used herein, theterm “configured to”, “operable to”, “coupled to”, or “operably coupledto” indicates that an item includes one or more of power connections,input(s), output(s), etc., to perform, when activated, one or more itscorresponding functions and may further include inferred coupling to oneor more other items. As may further be used herein, the term “associatedwith”, includes direct and/or indirect coupling of separate items and/orone item being embedded within another item. As may still further beused herein, the term “automatically” refers to an action causeddirectly by a processor of a computer network in response to atriggering event and particularly without human interaction.

As may be used herein, the term “compares favorably”, indicates that acomparison between two or more items, signals, etc., provides a desiredrelationship. For example, when the desired relationship is that signal1 has a greater magnitude than signal 2, a favorable comparison may beachieved when the magnitude of signal 1 is greater than that of signal 2or when the magnitude of signal 2 is less than that of signal 1. As maybe used herein, the term “compares unfavorably”, indicates that acomparison between two or more items, signals, etc., fails to providethe desired relationship.

As may also be used herein, the terms “processing module”, “processingcircuit”, “processor”, and/or “processing unit” may be a singleprocessing device or a plurality of processing devices. Such aprocessing device may be a microprocessor, micro-controller, digitalsignal processor, microcomputer, central processing unit, fieldprogrammable gate array, programmable logic device, state machine, logiccircuitry, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or any device thatmanipulates signals (analog and/or digital) based on hard coding of thecircuitry and/or operational instructions. The processing module,module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit may be, or furtherinclude, memory and/or an integrated memory element, which may be asingle memory device, a plurality of memory devices, and/or embeddedcircuitry of another processing module, module, processing circuit,and/or processing unit. Such a memory device may be a read-only memory,random access memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, staticmemory, dynamic memory, flash memory, cache memory, and/or any devicethat stores digital information. Note that if the processing module,module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit includes more thanone processing device, the processing devices may be centrally located(e.g., directly coupled together via a wired and/or wireless busstructure) or may be distributedly located (e.g., cloud computing viaindirect coupling via a local area network and/or a wide area network).Further note that if the processing module, module, processing circuit,and/or processing unit implements one or more of its functions via astate machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logiccircuitry, the memory and/or memory element storing the correspondingoperational instructions may be embedded within, or external to, thecircuitry comprising the state machine, analog circuitry, digitalcircuitry, and/or logic circuitry. Still further note that, the memoryelement may store, and the processing module, module, processingcircuit, and/or processing unit executes, hard coded and/or operationalinstructions corresponding to at least some of the steps and/orfunctions illustrated in one or more of the Figures. Such a memorydevice or memory element can be included in an article of manufacture.

One or more embodiments have been described above with the aid of methodsteps illustrating the performance of specified functions andrelationships thereof. The boundaries and sequence of these functionalbuilding blocks and method steps have been arbitrarily defined hereinfor convenience of description. Alternate boundaries and sequences canbe defined so long as the specified functions and relationships areappropriately performed. Any such alternate boundaries or sequences arethus within the scope and spirit of the claims. Further, the boundariesof these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined forconvenience of description. Alternate boundaries could be defined aslong as the certain significant functions are appropriately performed.Similarly, flow diagram blocks may also have been arbitrarily definedherein to illustrate certain significant functionality.

To the extent used, the flow diagram block boundaries and sequence couldhave been defined otherwise and still perform the certain significantfunctionality. Such alternate definitions of both functional buildingblocks and flow diagram blocks and sequences are thus within the scopeand spirit of the claims. One of average skill in the art will alsorecognize that the functional building blocks, and other illustrativeblocks, modules and components herein, can be implemented as illustratedor by discrete components, application specific integrated circuits,processors executing appropriate software and the like or anycombination thereof.

In addition, a flow diagram may include a “start” and/or “continue”indication. The “start” and “continue” indications reflect that thesteps presented can optionally be incorporated in or otherwise used inconjunction with other routines. In this context, “start” indicates thebeginning of the first step presented and may be preceded by otheractivities not specifically shown. Further, the “continue” indicationreflects that the steps presented may be performed multiple times and/ormay be succeeded by other activities not specifically shown. Further,while a flow diagram indicates a particular ordering of steps, otherorderings are likewise possible provided that the principles ofcausality are maintained.

The one or more embodiments are used herein to illustrate one or moreaspects, one or more features, one or more concepts, and/or one or moreexamples. A physical embodiment of an apparatus, an article ofmanufacture, a machine, and/or of a process may include one or more ofthe aspects, features, concepts, examples, etc. described with referenceto one or more of the embodiments discussed herein. Further, from figureto figure, the embodiments may incorporate the same or similarly namedfunctions, steps, modules, etc. that may use the same or differentreference numbers and, as such, the functions, steps, modules, etc. maybe the same or similar functions, steps, modules, etc. or differentones.

Unless specifically stated to the contra, signals to, from, and/orbetween elements in a figure of any of the figures presented herein maybe analog or digital, continuous time or discrete time, and single-endedor differential. For instance, if a signal path is shown as asingle-ended path, it also represents a differential signal path.Similarly, if a signal path is shown as a differential path, it alsorepresents a single-ended signal path. While one or more particulararchitectures are described herein, other architectures can likewise beimplemented that use one or more data buses not expressly shown, directconnectivity between elements, and/or indirect coupling between otherelements as recognized by one of average skill in the art.

The term “module” is used in the description of one or more of theembodiments. A module implements one or more functions via a device suchas a processor or other processing device or other hardware that mayinclude or operate in association with a memory that stores operationalinstructions. A module may operate independently and/or in conjunctionwith software and/or firmware. As also used herein, a module may containone or more sub-modules, each of which may be one or more modules.

As may further be used herein, a computer readable memory includes oneor more memory elements. A memory element may be a separate memorydevice, multiple memory devices, or a set of memory locations within amemory device. Such a memory device may be a read-only memory, randomaccess memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, static memory,dynamic memory, flash memory, cache memory, and/or any device thatstores digital information. The memory device may be in a form a solidstate memory, a hard drive memory, cloud memory, thumb drive, servermemory, computing device memory, and/or other physical medium forstoring digital information.

While particular combinations of various functions and features of theone or more embodiments have been expressly described herein, othercombinations of these features and functions are likewise possible. Thepresent disclosure is not limited by the particular examples disclosedherein and expressly incorporates these other combinations.

What is claimed is:
 1. A lost and found server comprising: a networkinterface for communicating via a network; a memory that stores a lostand found server application; a processing system, coupled to the memoryand the network interface, the processing system including at least oneprocessor that executes the lost and found server application thatbidirectionally communicates item retrieval data with a plurality ofusers of a plurality of client devices via the network interface inconjunction with recovery of a first lost item by first user in theplurality of users, wherein the item retrieval data includes: lost itemselection data received from a first client device that includes lostitem description data and lost item location data generated by a firstclient device in response to first first user input to a firstinteractive interface displayed by a corresponding first display deviceof the first client device; lost item alert data automatically generatedby the processing system in response to receiving the lost itemselection data and sent to a proximity-based proper subset of theplurality of client devices, wherein the lost item alert data includesthe lost item description data and the lost item location data, whereinthe proximity-based proper subset is selected by the processing systemautomatically in response to receiving the lost item selection databased on comparing the lost item location data to client devicegeospatial data generated by and received from the plurality of clientdevices, and wherein the proximity-based proper subset of the pluralityof client devices automatically display a lost item alert oncorresponding display devices of the proximity-based proper subset ofthe plurality of client devices; found item notification data receivedfrom a second client device included in the proximity-based propersubset associated with a second user in the plurality of users thatfound the first lost item, the found item notification data generated bythe second client device based on second user input to a secondinteractive interface displayed by a second display device of the secondclient device in response to the lost item alert data, wherein thesecond user input indicates that the first lost item was found; andfound item alert data automatically generated by the processing systemin response to receiving the found item notification data and sent tothe first client device, wherein the first client device automaticallydisplays a found item alert on the first display device indicating thatthe first lost item was found in response to receiving the found itemalert data.
 2. The lost and found server of claim 1, wherein the founditem notification data received from the second client device includes aretrieval location generated by the second client device in response tothe second user input, wherein the found item alert data sent to thefirst client device includes retrieval instruction data generated by theprocessing system for display via the first display device, and whereinthe retrieval instruction data includes the retrieval location generatedby the second client device in response to the second user input.
 3. Thelost and found server of claim 2, wherein the second interactiveinterface prompts the second user to select the retrieval location viaan interactive map displayed on the second display device.
 4. The lostand found server of claim 2, wherein the found item notification dataincludes geospatial data generated by the second client device inresponse to the second user input indicating an option to set theretrieval location to their current location via the second interactiveinterface.
 5. The lost and found server of claim 2, wherein the itemretrieval data further includes: navigation data automatically generatedby the processing system in response to receiving the found itemnotification data, and sent to the first client device for display bythe first display device, wherein the navigation data is generated basedon geospatial data received from the first client device and theretrieval location.
 6. The lost and found server of claim 1, wherein theitem retrieval data further includes: a found item drop-off notificationreceived from a third client device associated with one of a pluralityof registered drop-off entities indicating that the first lost item wasdropped-off at the one of the plurality of registered drop-off entities;and a ready for pick-up alert generated by the processing system inresponse to receiving the found item drop-off notification, and sent tothe first client device for display by the first display device, whereinthe ready for pick-up alert includes a retrieval location associatedwith the one of the plurality of registered drop-off entities.
 7. Thelost and found server of claim 6, wherein the item retrieval datafurther includes: nearby drop-off entity data generated by theprocessing system in response to receiving the found item notificationdata, and sent to the second client device for display by the seconddisplay device, wherein the nearby drop-off entity data includes aproximity-based proper subset of the plurality of registered drop-offentities selected by the processing system by comparing geospatial datareceived from the second client device to locations associated with theregistered drop-off entities in response to receiving the found itemnotification data.
 8. The lost and found server of claim 1, wherein thesecond interactive interface prompts the second user to take a photo ofthe first lost item using a camera coupled to the second client device,wherein the photo is included in the found item notification datareceived from the second client device, and wherein the photo isincluded in the found item alert data sent to the first client devicefor display to the first user by the first display device in conjunctionwith the display of the found item alert.
 9. The lost and found serverof claim 1, wherein the item retrieval data further includes:verification request data generated by the processing system in responseto receiving the found item notification data, and sent to the firstclient device for display on the first display device prompting thefirst user to enter a response to a verification request; verificationresponse data received from the first client device via third user inputthat includes the response to the verification request entered by thefirst user, wherein the verification response data is sent to the secondclient device for display on the second display device, prompting thesecond user to evaluate the response to the verification request; andverification confirmation data received from the second client device,the verification confirmation data generated by the second client devicein response to the verification request, the verification confirmationdata indicating that the first user successfully verified ownership ofthe first lost item.
 10. The lost and found server of claim 1, whereinthe item retrieval data further includes: delivery drop-off request datagenerated by the processing system in response to receiving the founditem notification data, and sent to the second client device for displayby the second display device, prompting the second user to select adelivery pick-up location; delivery pick-up selection data received fromthe second client device that includes the selected delivery pick-uplocation; delivery location request data generated by the processingsystem and sent to the first client device for display by the firstdisplay device, prompting the first user to enter a delivery drop-offlocation; delivery drop-off selection data received from the firstclient device that includes the selected delivery drop-off location; anddelivery instruction data generated by the processing system in responseto receiving the delivery pick-up selection data and the deliverydrop-off selection data, and sent to a third client device correspondingto a delivery service associated with the lost and found server, whereindelivery of the first lost item from the second user to the first useris facilitated by the delivery service based on delivery pick-up dataand delivery drop-off data included in the delivery instruction data.11. The lost and found server of claim 1, wherein the item retrievaldata further includes: notification preference menu data sent to thesecond client device for display by the second display device, promptingthe second user to select at least one of a plurality of notificationparameter options; and notification preference selection data receivedfrom the second client device that indicates the selected at least oneof the plurality of notification parameter options; wherein theproximity-based proper subset is further selected by the processingsystem based on a plurality of notification preferences corresponding tothe plurality of users, and wherein the second client device is includedin the proximity-based proper subset further based on the notificationpreference selection data.
 12. The lost and found server of claim 11,wherein the notification preference selection data includes at least oneof: at least one of a plurality of lost item types selected by thesecond user, a distance range selected by the second user, or a timerange selected by the second user, and wherein the second client deviceis included in the proximity-based proper subset in response to the atleast one of: the selected at least one of the plurality of lost itemtypes, the selected distance range, or the selected time range comparingfavorably to at least one of: the selected lost item type indicated bythe lost item selection data received from the first client device, theselected lost item location indicated by the lost item selection datareceived from the first client device, or a time of recorded lossindicated by the lost item selection data received from the first clientdevice.
 13. The lost and found server of claim 11, wherein the lost itemselection data includes a reward value selected by the first user,wherein the notification preference selection data includes a lost itemreward value range selected by the second user, and wherein the secondclient device is included in the proximity-based proper subset inresponse to the reward value selected by the first user comparingfavorably to the lost item reward value range selected by the seconduser.
 14. The lost and found server of claim 1, wherein the lost itemlocation data indicated by the lost item selection data includes aplurality of locations based on at least one of: a transit route or aplurality of establishments, and wherein the proximity-based propersubset is generated based on the plurality of locations.
 15. The lostand found server of claim 14, wherein the lost item location dataindicated by the lost item selection data includes a plurality of losslikelihood weights corresponding to the plurality of locations, andwherein the proximity-based proper subset is generated based on the losslikelihood weights and their corresponding location.
 16. The lost andfound server of claim 1, wherein the first interactive interface furtherprompts the first user to upload a photo of the first lost item from aphoto library associated with the first client device, wherein the photois included in the lost item selection data received from the firstclient device, and wherein the photo is included in the lost item alertdata sent to the proximity-based proper subset of the plurality ofclient devices for display to the corresponding subset of users inconjunction with display of each lost item alert.
 17. The lost and foundserver of claim 1, wherein a plurality of lost item reports based onlost item selection data received from the plurality of client devicesare stored in a lost item database in the memory, wherein high-risklocation data that includes plurality of high-risk locations isgenerated by the processing system based on lost item location datacorresponding to the plurality of lost item reports, and wherein ahigh-risk location alert is automatically generated by the processingsystem in response to receiving geospatial data from a third clientdevice corresponding to one of the plurality of high-risk locations, andwherein the high-risk location alert is sent to the third client devicefor display automatically by a corresponding third display devicealerting the user they entered a high-risk location.
 18. The lost andfound server of claim 1, wherein a plurality of found item reports thatinclude found item location data and found item description data arereceived from plurality of client devices and are stored in a found itemdatabase in the memory, and wherein the item retrieval data furtherincludes: lost item search parameters received from a third clientdevice in the plurality of client devices based on user input by a thirduser in the plurality of users attempting to recover a second lost item;found item search results generated by the processing system basedsearching the found item database based on the lost item searchparameters, wherein the found item search results are sent to the thirdclient device for display to the third user, indicating at least one ofthe plurality of found item reports of the found item databasecorresponding to at least one potential match; lost item match datareceived from the third client device in response to the third useridentifying a match to the second lost item in the found item searchresults; and found item claimed data automatically generated by theprocessing system in response to receiving the lost item match data andsent to a fourth client device associated with the match in the founditem search results, wherein the fourth client device automaticallydisplays an item claimed alert on a fourth display device correspondingto the fourth client device indicating that the third user claimed thecorresponding found item.
 19. The lost and found server of claim 1,wherein a plurality of lost item reports that include lost item locationdata and lost item description data are received from plurality ofclient devices and are stored in a lost item database in the memory, andwherein the item retrieval data further includes: a lost item databasestored in the memory that includes a plurality of lost items based onlost item description data received from at least one of the pluralityof client devices; found item search parameters received from a thirdclient device based on user input by a third user in conjunction withfinding a potentially lost item; lost item search results generated bythe processing system based searching the lost item database based onthe found item search parameters, wherein the lost item search resultsare sent to the third client device for display to the third user,indicating at least one of the plurality of lost item reports of thelost item database corresponding to at least one potential match; founditem match data received from the third client device indicating a matchidentified by the third user in the lost item search results; and lostitem recovered alert data automatically generated by the processingsystem in response to receiving the found item match data and sent to afourth client device associated with the match in the lost item searchresults, wherein the fourth client device automatically displays a founditem alert on a fourth display device corresponding to the fourth clientdevice indicating that the corresponding lost item was recovered by thethird user in response to receiving the lost item matched data.
 20. Amethod for execution by a lost and found server that includes aprocessor, the method comprises: receiving lost item selection data froma first client device that includes lost item description data and lostitem location data generated by a first client device in response tofirst first user input to a first interactive interface displayed by acorresponding first display device of the first client device;generating lost item alert data automatically in response to receivingthe lost item selection data for transmission to a proximity-basedproper subset of the plurality of client devices, wherein the lost itemalert data includes the lost item description data and the lost itemlocation data, wherein the proximity-based proper subset is selectedautomatically in response to receiving the lost item selection databased on comparing the lost item location data to client devicegeospatial data generated by and received from the plurality of clientdevices, and wherein the proximity-based proper subset of the pluralityof client devices automatically display a lost item alert oncorresponding display devices of the proximity-based proper subset ofthe plurality of client devices; receiving found item notification datafrom a second client device included in the proximity-based propersubset associated with a second user in the plurality of users thatfound the first lost item, the found item notification data generated bythe second client device based on second user input to a secondinteractive interface displayed by a second display device of the secondclient device in response to the lost item alert data, wherein thesecond user input indicates that the first lost item was found; andgenerating found item alert data automatically in response to receivingthe found item notification data for transmission to the first clientdevice, wherein the first client device automatically displays a founditem alert on the first display device indicating that the first lostitem was found in response to receiving the found item alert data.